The Shutdown: The Last Thing We Need is a Government Where Everyone Works Together

[Draggingtree]

Mises Institute

The Shutdown: The Last Thing We Need is a Government Where Everyone Works Together

01/22/2018 Ryan McMaken

The Chinese state's "news" service Xinhua on Sunday mocked the United States for the current federal-government non-shutdown, called a "shutdown." The Chinese agency claimed the current legislative stalemate — which has hardly "shut down" the federal government — demonstrates "chronic flaws" in the US federal political system. 

Even worse — from Xinua's point of view — is that " the spirit of non-cooperation across party lines" is the only aspect of the previous administration that has survived into the current one. A lack of continuity, it seems, is a problem for the Chinese ruling-party hack writing the piece, as he or she notes the current administration has "backtracked" on policies implemented by the previous one. 

In the mind of a Chinese propagandist, it seems, once the US government adopts a policy, that policy ought never to be rescinded. To undo previously-supported policies, it seems, would be "chaos." 

Unfortunately, this attitude reflects the ideas of many Americans themselves who like to condemn "gridlock" in Washington — which is greatly overstated, by the way — because it prevents the federal government from doing "the people's business."     

[Draggingtree]

IS DEMOCRACY ON THE WAY DOWN?

Pat Buchanan | January 23, 2018

"The Western democratic system is hailed by the developed world as near perfect and the most superior political system to run a country," mocked China's official new agency.

"However, what's happening in the United States today will make more people worldwide reflect on the viability and legitimacy of such a chaotic political system."

There is a worldwide audience for what Beijing had to say about the shutdown of the U.S. government, for there is truth in it.

According to Freedom House, democracy has been in decline for a dozen years. Less and less do nations look to the world's greatest democracy, the United States, as a model of the system to best preserve and protect what is most precious to them.

China may be a single-party Communist state that restricts freedom of speech, religion and the press, the defining marks of democracy. Yet Beijing has delivered what makes the Chinese people proud—a superpower nation to rival the mighty United States.    https://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/is-democracy-on-the-way-down/

[Draggingtree]

1/22/2018

Senate Democrats Cave On Government Shut Down, Party Members Attack Their Own

Filed under: General — Dana @ 12:41 pm

[guest post by Dana]

[I pulled this post out of the trash where I had sent it after seeing JVW had already posted about this. With his approval, am re-posting it.]

After the Senate voted to re-open and fund the government for three more weeks, Chuck Schumer gave a bitter, childish blame-game concession speech. It’s quite a piece of work. You can read it in full here.

With that, Democrats were not happy with Schumer for folding like he did:

House Democrats opened fire on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), among others. Rep. Luis Guttierez (D-IL) grumbled, “They caved. They blinked. That’s what they do.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) even jumped into the fray: “I don’t see that there’s any reason — I’m speaking personally and hearing from my members — to support what was put forth.”              http://patterico.com/2018/01/22/senate-democrats-cave-on-government-shut-down-party-members-attack-their-own/